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INDIFFERENCE?: County voter participation falters

COLUMBIA CITY — When it came to a scant showing at the polls for the May 8 Primary Election, Whitley County fared as poorly as many in the Hoosier state.According to media reports, about 19 percent of the 4.4 million registered voters in Indiana exercised that right a week ago.In neighboring Allen County, news reports are calling the participation at the polls by voters near the lowest in the state.In Whitley County, primary voter turnout dropped dramatically from the previous primary in 2008.According to the county clerk’s office in Whitley County, voter turnout last week stood at 25.84 percent, as opposed to 42.57 percent in 2008.Clerk Debbie Beers was not available for comment.One area report touted population as a key to voter participation.In a comparison of Allen County and the less populated Adams County, which differed in a 12-year average by nearly 11 percent, experts said larger counties suffer much worse voter participation than their less-populated neighboring communities.